Apartment-Sized Hokies' DT Tim Settle Loves Talking About His Weight

The Virginia Tech football team was up early Sunday morning to meet with the media ahead of fan appreciation day in Lane Stadium. In addition to the "media A-team" normally made available to reporters, plenty of additional Hokies fielded questions. Among that group was CB Brandon Facyson, DB Greg Stroman, DT Tim Settle, and DT Nigel Williams.

Settle, a former blue-chip recruit and Stonewall Jackson HS product, is about 30 pounds lighter this year versus last (listed at 328 pounds).

"I looked at video the other day of the interview I had last year around this time, I was as big as a house," Settle said. "I'm an apartment now."

Even though questions about Settle's weight may be considered old hat, the trimmed down defensive lineman will gladly accommodate and answer them.

"I love talking about my weight," Settle said. "I'm looking forward to y'all asking about my weight now. Y'all ask as many weight questions as y'all want."

Bud Foster was also asked about Settle's weight loss. Tech's defensive coordinator noted Settle's trimmed down physique will allow him to meet the demands of defending up-tempo offenses for multiple snaps, but Settle is prone to the same lapses in technique and understanding of scheme as all freshman.

"As the story goes, everybody knows he was a little overweight, not a little bit, quite a bit," Foster said, "He's worked extremely hard, and our strength staff, our dietary staff they've all done ... And Tim, he's shown the discipline to do the right thing and be consistent with what he needs to do to put himself in a position to compete and perform. You can get a big body in there, but with the spread offense and up-tempo offense, having a guy that can be consistent and play at a high level for several snaps. He's worked extremely hard to get his weight down. He's worked extremely hard to be able to perform at a high level and play a significant number of snaps.

"But again, he's a freshman. He's still learning a little bit as far as technique and fundamentals, learning the scheme with our movements and different things like that. I'm excited about where he is right now, and he's only going to be a guy that continues to grow and get better.

"It's important to Tim. He works extremely hard, and once he gets it right, he's going to be a big, physical guy. Light on his feet, and can run for a big kid. I think he's going to be a force to deal with down the road. There's a lot of those spots we'd like those younger guys to be better sooner than later. It's a developmental process too. Tim is working at it, and I am excited about his future."

Brandon Facyson

ON EXPANDED ROLE FROM FRESHMAN TO SENIOR:

"A lot of people don't realize how much goes into it, especially when it comes to scheme. But, freshman year definitely was a little bit easier than it is now. They're asking a lot of more of all of us, not just me, and we seem to be doing well with it. Gotta keep working and keep getting better everyday."

ON WHAT YOU LEARN AT VIRGINIA TECH THAT HELPS IN THE NFL:

"Everything. They teach us not just being a leader on the field, (but) being a leader off the field. You take care of the things off the field, you're bound to take care of things on the field. It's just everything from just their standpoint of being the best you can be on and off the field, but there's just studying, you take that onto the field, too. It's not really just one particular thing, it's everything. It's being a great person all around."

ON ROLE MODEL AS A FRESHMAN:

"All of them had a big impact. Whether it was Kyle (Fuller), whether it was Antone (Exum, Jr.), weather it was Kendall (Fuller), Kyshon (Jarrett), (Detrick) Bonner. Those were the guys that when me and Kendall came in, they're the ones who stepped to us and really took the big brother role and wanted to teach us things that they had already learned. We thanked them every single day. I can't thank Antone and Kyle and all of them enough. I talked to 'Tone last week, actually earlier this week and he's doing well with the Vikings. He gave me a couple tips. I talked to Kendall a number of times, so they've all definitely had an impact on me. I'm sure we will have an impact on each other."

ON EXUM'S TIPS:

"He was just asking how camp was going. A couple of just recovery tips, stuff like that. Just some little things. (We) haven't talked in a little bit so just getting to see how each other was doing again."

ON WHETHER HE WILL BE SHADOWING THE MAIN RECEIVER OR ANOTHER ROLE:

"I can't (say). We'll just see how it goes."

Greg Stroman

ON WORKING AS A RETURN MAN (BOTH KICK AND PUNT) THIS SEASON:

"Yes."

ON SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR JAMES SHIBEST'S APPROACH VERSUS FRANK BEAMER'S:

"It's nothing really different. They both wanted to see special teams excel. I loved that about both of them. They want to see us returners get into the end zone and us make big plays for special teams."

"He's a go getter, I'd say."

ON WEIGHT GAINS IN OFFSEASON:

"Yes, I gained a little bit of weight."

"I'd say about 13 pounds."

ON REASONING FOR WEIGHT GAIN:

"Really just to be strong. Coach just hit home, making sure I'm strong. It kind of just came."

ON WORKING ON OFFENSE AT ALL:

"No sir."

ON MISSING OFFENSE:

"I mean, having the ball in your hands is fun. This is best for the team, I'm good. I feel like we got guys over there that can definitely do it."

ON IF OFFENSIVE EXPERIENCE HAS HELPED ON DEFENSE:

"I think it's helped with seeing things. Playing both sides is just normal."

Tim Settle

ON HOW HARD HE'S WORKED THIS OFFSEASON:

"I feel like it's not me. Everybody else had a goal. You're gaining weight or losing weight. The people that was losing weight, we were all together like, 'Are you gonna make your weight this week? Are you gonna do this this week?' That was like, the motive. You wanted to make your weight every week. Everybody wanted the same goal. Everybody wanted to get the weight where they needed this season. A lot of people were doing that earlier. I hit 330 (pounds) like two months ago. I just maintained it, really. I tried to get lower than that, but it was kinda hard having the little breaks that we had. But I feel like the whole process of all of us being active together, either gaining weight or losing weight, that put us stronger as a team. That's easier when we are all on the same page."

ON SNAPCHAT VS. PERISCOPE:

"I'm a Snapchat guy."

ON WHETHER IT GETS OLD TALKING ABOUT WEIGHT:

"I love talking about my weight, man. ... I'm looking forward to y'all asking about my weight now. Y'all ask as many weight questions as y'all want."

ON THOUGHTS OF BEING 360 POUNDS A YEAR AGO:

"I looked at video the other day of the interview I had last year around this time, I was as big as a house. I'm an apartment now."

ON BEING IN SHAPE:

"I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life right now. Can't get any better than this, besides just keep losing weight."

"Love the weight. Love the weight."

ON PLAYING BESIDE RICKY WALKER:

"I probably spend more time with him than anybody else. That's my brother. I feel like that we grew up together. Me and him (are) so close, talk about everything. One of my best friends. Me and him are in the same boat, it's fun. We go in there, we gotta get after it. We gotta eat. We're both after the same thing."

ON IF HE FEELS LIKE HE IS CLOSE TO STARTING:

"I don't know. That's something that we got to keep working on as a team. We're all competing. At the end of the day, whoever works the hardest gets the spot."

ON IF THE COACHES KEEP THEM UPDATED ON DEPTH CHART STATUS:

"No. I don't think that would be good, neither. Once you tell somebody that they're gonna start, you think they're gonna keep going hard. When people find out they're starting or something like that, they kind of take their foot off the throttle. Nobody starts right now. Everybody is still competing. Every spot's open. Whoever's the best, gets their opportunity to play."

Nigel Williams

ON DEFENSIVE LINE THIS SEASON:

"I think we are definitely growing every day during camp. We've got a lot experience between the three seniors, Woody, Ken, and myself. We just took that experience and help teach the younger guys and help them grow, passing it along. So I'm really excited to see how their talent, as well as their work, comes together this season."

ON TIM SETTLE:

"I remember seeing Tim come in last summer. He was a little heavy, but he came and he knew what he had to do. He came in and worked on it every day. Talked to the nutritionist, Jenny, work with Coach Hilgart, and every day I saw Tim making sure his weight was good enough to go home with and have a good meal plan. Tim definitely worked at it and I definitely see it paying off. He's definitely quicker, doing a lot better, lasting a lot longer in his reps. I'm excited to see how Tim does."

ON DEFENSIVE LINE BEING THE UNDERDOGS COMPARED TO LAST SEASON:

"We actually don't really pay attention to much of the hype. Even last year we didn't. We just come out here on the field working hard every day. We all help each other competing every drill during practice. I think that shows how humble we are. Just looking forward to getting to work everyday."

ON PERSONAL OUTLOOK FOR SENIOR SEASON:

"I just plan on going out and giving it my all like I do every day. Not leave any regrets out there. This is my last season so just gotta lay it all out there. I'm excited to do that."

ON NOT KNOWING DEPTH CHART:

I think it keeps us all pretty hungry. We all push each other and keep driving each other to get better every day. I'm just excited each day to go out there and compete, learn from each other and teach each other. Just so we get the best unit we can get out there come game day."

ON DEPTH ON DEFENSIVE LINE:

"We got a lot of talent in that room. I can't really say where the drop off is, but I see a lot of guys competing every day. And now they come in and try and best out of each other. I'm excited to see how well we go throughout the season."

ON REASON FOR CHANGE TO NUMBER 8:

"I wore a little bit of 8 in high school. I wore 88. Also to commemorate, there's 8 people in my life. I have 8 birds tattooed on me to commemorate them. I felt wearing the 8 also could commemorate them as well."

ON IF HE'LL CARRY THE BALL WITH THE NEW NUMBER:

"I don't know about that too much."